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CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- The Chagrin Falls Board of Education has approved the school district’s reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year and an operational guide that details that plan.
The board also approved a revised calendar for the coming school year, as well as a policy for face coverings that students and staff will be required to wear in school buildings.
The meeting on Wednesday (Aug. 12) was held via Zoom video conferencing and live-streamed on YouTube.
Students in the district have two options for their return to school later this month: a hybrid model and a fully remote model.
The hybrid model will provide students with a blend of a half-day of in-person instruction with a half-day of remote learning. Students will be divided by county to reduce the number attending school at a given time, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Students living in Cuyahoga County will attend school in the morning, followed by remote learning in the afternoon. That schedule will be flipped for Geauga County students.
Parents may also opt to have their children enrolled full time in the Chagrin Virtual Academy, which offers 100 percent remote instruction provided by the school district’s staff for students in grades K-12.
Students were required to be enrolled in either the hybrid or remote models by Friday (Aug. 7) for the first trimester or first semester, depending on grade level.
Robert Hunt, superintendent of Chagrin Falls Schools, said that at this time, 82 percent of the student body is enrolled in the hybrid model and 18 percent has chosen the virtual model.
According to the revised calendar, students who opted for the hybrid model are scheduled to return to school buildings Aug. 25 for small-group training sessions, orientation and meetings. This “soft” opening will continue through Aug. 28.
The first day of instruction for students in grades one through 12 will be Aug. 31 -- 11 days later than originally scheduled. Kindergarten classes will begin Sept. 8, after screening for those children Aug. 31 through Sept. 2.
Preschool and kindergarten orientation will be Sept. 3, and the preschool will open Sept. 9.
These changes to the school calendar were introduced by Hunt at a public hearing of the school board July 8. First reading of the revised calendar was July 22.
Staff will return to school Monday (Aug. 17) to provide time for training on safety and health protocols and professional development specific to the educational models, Hunt said.
“It’s really important that we all share our common goal in safely returning our students to school,” Hunt said. “I think it’s going to be critical to our success, everyone taking responsibility -- not only at school but at home -- to do the things necessary to move into the school year and, hopefully at some point, transition to bringing all of our students back.”
Operational guide previewed
Hunt provided the school board with highlights of the Return to School Operational Guide and said it would be sent to staff and parents Thursday (Aug. 13). He said the purpose of the 34-page document is to provide guidance to staff and parents about the operations of the school district during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Staff can review it before they return to school, and parents can start understanding what’s happening not only at school, but what they might need to do to help at home,” he said.
Hunt strongly encouraged parents to take the time to read through the guide and “start to have conversations with your kids about the things that are in it, so there are no surprises.”
“The more you can do of that in preparation for coming back to school will only make this better for all of us when (the students) get here,” he said.
“We consider this a live document, so as we learn more and as requirements change, we will make modifications to it.”
Hunt went over the schedule for daily instruction at each school building in the hybrid model. He noted that some students who receive intervention or special education services will remain in school for the full day.
Mike Daugherty, the district’s director of technology and information systems, discussed the daily schedules for the fully remote model. He said the virtual academy will combine synchronous -- with students learning at the same time in real time-- and asynchronous -- not learning at the same time -- instruction.
Hunt said the district will regularly monitor and determine which model it should be in -- either “all in,” hybrid or remote -- as the school year progresses.
“We’ll continue to monitor the implementation of our health and safety requirements, the state advisory system, the number of COVID cases for staff and for students and overall absenteeism for both,” he said.
Hunt said the district will evaluate the Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert System, based on information provided by both Cuyahoga and Geauga counties, to inform its decision making.
“Variables to inform decision-making will be reviewed every two weeks,” he said. “If we made a decision to shift models -- if we feel we’ve been in really good shape for four or six weeks and it’s time to consider all-in -- we would try to change that model within a week.”
On July 30, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health recommended that school districts in that county open the year remotely “due to the elevated health risk posed to students, staff and family members.”
Cuyahoga County has been consistently rated at Level 3, or red, in the alert system, which means very high exposure to and spread of the coronavirus.
But the health department of Geauga County -- which has fluctuated between Levels 1 (yellow) and 2 (orange) -- has made no such recommendation, since its levels of exposure and spread have been lower.
Hunt has said about half of the district’s students live in Geauga County.
“Any order from the governor or any recommendation from both counties would drive us to immediately go remote,” Hunt said. “We’re going to be walking down the path with the health departments (of both counties), giving us whatever guidance we need.”
The guide also includes safety precautions for students and staff. Hunt said the basic precautions schools can take to help reduce the risk to students, staff and their families -- according to University Hospitals -- are “always wear a mask, be aware of illness symptoms, clean your hands and your space, and distance physically but not socially.”
Face coverings ‘critical’
The district’s policy on face coverings requires all staff and students in grades K-12 to wear face masks in school buildings. Face shields may be worn by staff and students in certain instances, such as when wearing a mask would interfere with the learning process, Hunt said.
There are other exceptions in the policy, such as that students with autism who can’t manage the face coverings could be exempt, Hunt said.
“Anyone coming to the school district should anticipate the expectation of wearing a mask,” he said. “It’s not only a state order; I think it’s also a critical component of avoiding any kind of spread.”
Students will be expected to wear face masks on buses, as well, Hunt said. They will use hand sanitizer both entering the bus and exiting, and prior to entering the building, he said.
Board member Sharon Broz said face masks are a critical component of the district’s hybrid model.
“We really need parents and students to be in partnership with the district and doing their very best to use the face coverings as much as possible,” she said. “Between that and the social or physical distancing, that’s pretty critical to us opening and keeping everyone safe.”
Social or physical distancing suggests maintaining a distance of 6 feet or more between people. Hunt said this risk mitigation factor adds another layer of prevention against the spread of COVID-19.
“School staff will strive to maintain 6-foot social distance between students and staff in all school environments,” he said. “In the hybrid model, classrooms will be set up in a manner that provides a minimum of 6 feet of physical separation between students, as attainable.”
Additional barriers, such as clear desk dividers, will be provided, Hunt said. Some furniture is being removed to maximize space in classrooms, he added.
“It’s putting as many layers in place as we can for our staff and students to be safe,” he said. “Obviously, that’s a big driver in how many students you can put in the building.”
The guide also includes a chart for parents on what steps to follow if students have symptoms of COVID-19.
“Please stay safe and follow all guidance we have received from our public health agencies this summer,” Hunt said. “If we follow these safety guidelines now, and when students and staff return to school in August, this will help keep everyone healthy and increase our ability to keep our buildings open.”
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